1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inactivating device for humidifying flowing air while inactivating virus, bacteria, etc. contained in the air with humidifying water containing active oxygen specifies, and an air conditioner having the inactivating device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, there is known a humidifier in which tap water is adsorbed by a humidifying element and blow-out air is passed through the humidifying element to humidify the air with the water evaporated by the humidifying element. In this type of humidifier, repetitive wetting and drying causes the humidifying element to fall into a state where various bacteria is liable to breed, and thus there is a risk that bacteria, foul odor, fungus, etc. occurring in the humidifier may be blown out together with the blow-out air.
In order to solve this problem, for example, JP-A-2002-181358 has proposed an air conditioner having a humidifier in which hypochlorous acid (one kind of active oxygen specifies) is generated by using tap water and added to tap water to prevent breeding of various bacteria in the humidifying element.
By using this type of humidifier, it is possible to inactivate virus, bacteria or the like (hereinafter referred to as virus or the like) floated in the air. In this specification, the term of “inactivate virus, bacteria or the like” covers not only “sterilize or disinfect virus, bacteria or the like”, but also “remove or filter virus, bacteria or the like”. The concentration of active oxygen specifies for inactivating virus or the like is varied in accordance with the type of the virus or the like. On the other hand, the type of the target virus or the like to be inactivated is different in accordance with the place where a humidifier or an air conditioner is set up and the season under which these apparatuses are operated.
Accordingly, there is a problem that it is impossible to effectively inactivate virus or the like at some place where the humidifier or the air conditioner set up or under some season.